Terrifier

Do you ever watch a slasher film and the characters make SO MANY DUMB CHOICES that you stop hoping they'll get out of it and hope they're put out of their misery instead?

Yeah, this movie is like that.

Art the Clown is a plus because he is truly terrifying-great costume/makeup and great characterization on his part. But the victims ultimately committed the sin of making me not care if they lived or died. They weren't bad concepts, just poorly executed (no pun intended). The film harkens back to some traditional slashers in the mystery of who the killer and his motivation, so that doesn't bother me at all for a slasher film, but the characters' dumb choices are awful no matter the kind of film.

It was average low budget film, it was a little choppy at times but the end result for a budget film was what you expected, very gory, but lacked good acting at times, but we did get the bonus of Art such an enjoyable creep and it's sequel which I had a great time enjoying.

This film really needed a PLOT. And characters, some people to root for. Instead, the poor pacing, lack of tension and suspense made for a kind of dull film experience. Yes, Art is a crazy, vicious clown killer. If that's all you want, then you'll see it here as he wounds, kills and dismembers people. The problem is, he will injure someone--a woman's ankle is almost torn out--and the next scene, she's running. People have their heads bashed in...and later, are able to get up and function. It really doesn't make a lot of sense and since Art seems to pop up in more places than possible, he's never really a surprise--he's overused. Clearly the director knew the story was thin, so every few minutes, Art pops up to attack someone. It really is disappointing since the short films showed some potential but when a whole film is given to Art, he's boring and predictable. I'm sure there will be another one--I hope the screenplay is given as much attention as the gore effects.

The overrated "Terrifier" is a horror film with a promising and funny beginning, with the alcoholic Dawn acting like a stupid and the clown accepting the silliness. Until the moment Tara and Dawn are abducted, the film works reasonably well. However, when Victoria drives to give a ride to her sister and Dawn, she hears that there is a serial killer in the area. But even being aware of the dangerous situation, she begins to take a series of very stupid e clichés attitudes culminating in the awful conclusion. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 20 October 2022, I saw this film again.

A brutal, barbaric & bestial horror packed with harrowing kills & senseless savagery, Terrifier is completely devoid of basic narrative fundamentals and exists solely to shock, upset, disturb & disgust its viewers with its endless gore & no-holds-barred carnage but for those with a taste for the extreme, this indie slasher may just prove to be a welcome thrill-n-kill ride.

Written, produced, edited & directed by Damien Leone, the plot is merely an outline with nothing of value brewing underneath and only exists as an excuse for the filmmaker to indulge in the old-school tricks that power the violence & viscera. The make-up & special effects are worth noting but with an absent narrative & no characters to support, the film doesn't cover a lot of distance.

Further hampering the journey are the shoddy dialogues & awful performances, not to mention that it's also lacking in tension and is rather predictable & repetitive. The cardboard characters keep making the idiotic choices throughout the film which only diminish our interest in their fate, if there was any. Nevertheless, David Howard Thornton impresses in his role and is sickening to watch.

Overall, Terrifier is as repugnant & repulsive as it is raw & ruthless and often gets carried away with its scenes of torture & terror. While there is an audience for this kind of cinematic offering, the film remains a forgettable ride for the most part. Still, Art the Clown does exhibit promise & potential to become a horror franchise icon but his character & mythology needs to be fleshed out better than how it's done here.